Thyroid Hormone Stereochemistry. III. Molecular Structure of Triiodothyropropionic Acid Ethyl Ester
The three-dimensional structure of triiodothyropropionic acid ethyl ester has been determined as part of an investigation of the stereochemistry of the thyroid hormones. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with cell dimensions a = 14.60, b = 8.843, c = 16.70 Å, β = 111°27′; Z = four molecules per cell. The structure was determined by direct centrosymmetric phasing procedures to locate the iodine atoms and phasing on the iodines to find the light atoms. Refinement was by anisotropic full-matrix least squares to a final discrepancy value R = 0.038.The two phenyl rings in the molecule are skewed with respect to each other and are not far from being mutually perpendicular, with angles of 88 and 10° between the plane of the inter-ring ether linkage and the planes of the diiodo-ring and the monoiodo-ring, respectively. The conformation is such that the 3′-iodine atom is proximal to the diiodo-ring, similar to the molecular conformation found in the crystal structure of triiodo-L-thyronine hydrochloride.